Ancient West Civilization

This history course combines the most important texts from the Kolbe Academy Greek and Roman history courses into a one year course in ancient history. This course is ideal for students who have transferred into Kolbe's program at tenth grade or later, or for students who do not want to take two years to study the ancients.

This course examines the great civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. The first half traces the arc of Greek democracy and culture through the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars; the second picks up with the rise and fall of Roman power, from the mythic and historical accounts of Rome's early days all the way to St. Augustine's reflections in The City of God on Rome's fall and the conflict between Christians and pagans in Roman society.

The influence of the personalities, events, and ideas of this era is difficult to overstate, and the study of ancient Greece and Rome is vital to any genuine understanding of the movement and progress of History in the West. This course will enable the student to observe the timelessness of human relations and the similarities of man's responses to the conditions in which he finds himself across time periods; to discover the similarities and differences between ancient Greek and Christian ideas of virtue; to trace the cause and effect of political developments in the ancient world and, by extension, the modern; to identify the periods of ancient history and major characters of the period; to become familiar with the geography of the ancient world and the seeds of modern geopolitical conflicts; and to relate modern historical situations and documents to their ancient antecedents.

Students taking this course for Kolbe Core (K) credit will have four papers, a mid-term, and final exam each semester. Additionally, core students should expect to have daily reading and minor weekly written assignments or quizzes.

The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides, translated by Rex Warner

Makers of Rome, Plutarch, translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert

The History of Rome from Its Foundations: The Early History of Rome, Livy, translated by Aubrey De Sélincourt

The History of Rome from Its Foundations: The War with Hannibal, Livy, translated by Aubrey De Sélincourt

The Annals of Imperial Rome, Tacitus, Tran. Michael Grant

City of God. St. Augustine, translated by Henry Bettenson

Optional physical copies available for purchase for the following under the Ancient Western Civilization "Optional Material" section in the Kolbe Bookstore (digital copies are provided with the self-paced course):